Every parent's worst nightmare

[ckhagen]

I can't stop thinking about this either.......so tragic! What could have happened for him to have an abdominal injury that killed him? He apparantly was sacked by 2 players in the gut. Sounds to me like involuntary manslaughter.............why are people so enthralled with football? It's barbaric!!! Where is the outrage!

His liver ruptured. It's not super common for a liver to rupture that severely, but spleen injuries are pretty common according to my hubby. But, I don't think it's fair at all to accuse two other young boys, who now have to live with the reality of this tragic accident, of any kind of crime

 

[seagrovegirl]

His liver ruptured. It's not super common for a liver to rupture that severely, but spleen injuries are pretty common according to my hubby. But, I don't think it's fair at all to accuse two other young boys, who now have to live with the reality of this tragic accident, of any kind of crime

I'm sure the hit was intentional, but the outcome unintentioanl. My point is; the players are taught to use force.......and a kid was KILLED, unintentional or not.......it's a sick game all in the name of "sport".....

So now there is a kid that is dead and 2 more boys that have to live with this the rest of their lives............again......what is the point of football?

 

[Miss Critter]

I have to admit, we are big SEC football fans, and also appreciate high school football. But when it came time for my own son to play, let's just say my feelings changed considerably.

There are many rules in place to reduce the likelihood of this type of outcome. I'm convinced the vast majority of coaches teach their teams how to hit cleanly and properly, and the amount of protection for players has been improved also. I remember reading a story a year or two ago of a young basedall player killed when a pitch hit him in the chest and stopped his heart. All sports entail some level of risk. I do agree, of course, that football by its nature is a violent sport. But I just recently read that the worst sport for injury is. . . .cheerleading!! Being thrown from the top of a human pyramid has its risks also.

None of this does anything to diminish the pain of that poor boy's parents. My heart is with them, and I pray for their comfort.

 

[seagrovegirl]

I'm sure the hit was intentional, but the outcome unintentioanl. My point is; the players are taught to use force.......and a kid was KILLED, unintentional or not.......it's a sick game all in the name of "sport".....

So now there is a kid that is dead and 2 more boys that have to live with this the rest of their lives............again......what is the point of football?

I mean no disrespect to the family........I can't even imagine the grief they are going through.

Eventually someone has to ask why we are so excited for a sport that our children play or watch, that is common happenstance to bust your spleen or worse.....death from other injuries.

What's the point of wearing a seatbelt????

 

[NoHall]

I'm sure the hit was intentional, but the outcome unintentioanl. My point is; the players are taught to use force.......and a kid was KILLED, unintentional or not.......it's a sick game all in the name of "sport".....

So now there is a kid that is dead and 2 more boys that have to live with this the rest of their lives............again......what is the point of football?

Because if they don't have someplace to work out their aggression in pads and helmets, they will do it somewhere else. They are (as a whole) very physical little beasties.

Like Miss Critter said, they're taught to hit cleanly but sometimes they miss. Just like in wrestling, they're taught to physically overpower their opponent within certain parameters. Baseball is a great example of a non-contact sport where people get killed. So is hockey.

SJ hasn't chimed in yet, but I think it's fairly obvious that statistically your male child between the ages of 16 and 25 will more likely be killed in a car wreck than in a regulated football game. (If you doubt it, ask the parents of those boys about the car insurance premiums.)

Here in Georgia, we usually have more deaths from practicing in August heat than we do in the games. It's not the fault of the game--we're fragile beings.

 

[jj32433]

This is a tragedy , no one expects anything like that to happen. Every August there are also the heat exhaustion deaths .

 

[ShallowsNole]

All sports are inherently dangerous. Football is moreso than most because it is a contact sport. Part of their training is how NOT to get hurt. Athletes in all sports run the risk of serious injury - be it baseball, basketball, surfing, golf (yes, golf - ever been hit in the head by a golf ball?), wrestling, anything that involves physical activity. We tend to forget - or deny - the possibility of a life-threatening injury.

The kids in the area - even those who did not know the young man - are taking it very hard. Wesley told me about it at 8:00 yesterday morning; it was all over MySpace long before the Daily News online ran anything.

Don't make this about football. Make this about a young man who had a freakish accident, and pray for his family. I cannot even imagine...

 

[jj32433]

Being sacked full force by players trained on lead sleds was not an accident. I do agree that all sports have inherent risks, I just hope that every parent that allows or demands that their children play these games really know what could happen.

 

[bluemtnfriend]

thank you for a very thoughtful post to such a tragedy.

 

[seagrovegirl]

thank you for a very thoughtful post to such a tragedy.

snarky not needed here either.............